* B.C. LUMBER WORKER 5 7

"Success Spells
Lives Saved"

: Inventory of past safety achievements of the Union,
; was suggested by District Safety Director, John T. Atkin-
son, in a Green Gold radio broadcast, January 27th, in
order that the experience gained may be used by delegates
attending the Annual Safety Conference, February 13th,
in the Medical-Dental Building, as a guide to continuing
improvements in the IWA safety code.

a “T suggest that there is no {

SAY, BOSS, WHEN AM I SUPPOSED
TO WAVE MY ARMS AND YELL

‘TIMBER !"?

'

man with eyes to see and
to warn him of the dangers
He was given a mind for
plan his defenses, and
arouse incentiveness

sh Columbia are living in
‘oured parts of the world.
igh standard of living and
to’ fulfill both social and
a

dency to accept casually
is commonplace personal
< of appraisal and apprecia-
»r'the need to plan for the
favoured conditions.

rob a man of his abilities,
‘tunities, and restrict his

;
circumvented by the use
drabilities. Prevention of
essary for the assurance
to make the fullest use

jensation Board

Sctretory ‘

|ARD, Commissioner
missioner

>

@

phase of the Union’s activity in|
which it is more important to|
take an inventory than our safety
programme. Its importance ies |
in the fact that on the success of |
our safety activities depends the |
lives of many of our fellow- |
workers, and the preservation of |

bodily well-being for many thou-
sand others.

Safety Conference

Such a discussion is approp-
riate, because on the day preced-
ing the convention, the delegates
appointed for the purpose from
the Local Unions, will assemble
in the Medical Dental Building; |
Vancouver, for the Annual Safety |
Conference.

The results of our inventory |
must then be considered. It is on}
that occasion that the safety men
of the IWA will prepare their |
plans for the endorsation of the |
Union in convention during the
belance of the same week. The |
results of its deliberations in the
form of recommendations will be"
placed before the District Con-
vention later in the week.

It will be shown at the Safety
Conference as well as the Con-
vention, that the Union’s safety
men have been diligent in the
promotion of the program out-
lined at last year’s convention.
The work has been expanded, and
its tempo has been increased. We
must now test its practical value
in terms of results. The results
which tell the story must always
be spelled out in fewer fatalities
and fewer crippling‘ accidents.

Striking Progress

Unfortunately, the official re-
cord for the entire year 1954, has
not yet been compiled. I expect
that it will be released at an
early date. Our conclusions as
we near the end of our 1954-55
convention year must be based
on such sampling of results as
have been possible. This method
makes it very clear that the of-
ficial record, when disclosed will
reveal 1954 as another year of
striking progress,

For instance, the available data
secured from the B.C. Lumber
Manufacturers Association indic-
ates that at the date of the last
report, the accident frequency
rate in Association mills had been
lowered another ten percent. I
ask you to remember that this is

|
|

JOHN T. ATKINSON

cumulating total reduction, since
1949, which in many instances
has exceeded sixty percent,

Joint Achievement

Our Union is organized in all
Association mills, and has played
an active part in the co-operation
necessary for this successful
safety program. If we speak with
pride of this achievement, we
speak of it as the joint achieve-
ment of labor, management, and
the Workmen’s Compensation
Board.

I also ask you to remember
that this lowered frequency rate
takes into consideration any ac-
tual increase in the working force
and the additional hours of pro-
duction that have been worked.
An accident frequency rate is
determined by the number of
compensable accidents in ratio to
the hours of exposure, or the
total hours worked by all the
workers employed.

Tragic Penalties

I know that it is difficult to
form a mental picture of any
such achievement merely from
my recital of a*few figures. But
I truly desire that you should
stop and think a moment of the
fact that where a few years ago
100 workers were killed or seri-
ously injured, now-as a result of
our. safety efforts, only forty suf-
fer the tragic penalties of indus-
“trial accidents.

an added improvement on an ac-

I submit that this achievement

j|of this province the enormous

for the simple reason that it re-
presents a vast extension of hu-
man welfare. The preservation
of lives and healthy bodies, Has
been fully vindicated as a noble
humanitarian service. Not only
has it added to the sum total of
happiness in British Columbian
komes but it has saved the people

|losses which inevitably result,
both directly and indirectly, from
| industrial accidents, Furthermore
we have proven a fact which we
repeat with insistence at every
possible opportunity. Accidents
| are caused—they don’t just hap-
| pen, and by removal of the causes
| accidents can be prevented.

Safety Record

In order that the picture of
this record may stand out more
clearly in your minds, I wish to
cite several interesting features
from the past year’s safety re-
cord. A noteworthy fact is that
five sawmills and one shingle
mill worked the entire year with-
out a single compensable acci-
dent.

In my own personal experience,
I find the greatest satisfaction
in the results attained in the In-
terior of the province. It was
decided at the last convention
that an energetic effort was re-
quired to launch safety action in
lumber operations throughout the
Interior. I use the word “launch”
advisedly because little or no at-
| tention had previously been given
|to safety in that area. In many.
| operations, the neglect of safety
‘rules had reached such scanda-
{lous proportions as to deserve
the description—criminal.

Convention Instructions

In accordance with the instruc-
tions of last year’s convention, I

was enabled to undertake exten-
sive tours of operations through-
out the Interior with the full co-
operation of the Local Unions
concerned. The results have been
highly gratifying. I wish to ex-
press my appreciation of the very
cordial co-operation extended to
me by employers and employees

BEWARE
PRESSURE

Probably every safety man
has been pushed around at one
time or another by the pressure
to “do something” about an un-
fortunate situation.

Sometimes the pressure comes
from the outside, often we gen-
erate it ourselves out of our own
discouragement and frustration.
Usually the “something” isn’t
very well defined, and its very
vagueness adds to the pressure.

Storm Warning

But no matter how the circum-
stances vary, the pressure to “do
something” is always the same
in one respect. It is always a
storm warning indicating trouble
ahead unless we return to the
objective approach to safety.

We have one objective—the re-
duction of accidents with the re-
sultant lessening of suffering and
death and waste. The direct ap-
proach is calm and ordered, hon-
est and intelligent. Rushing
around smartly isn’t necessarily
a sign of progress,

Submitting to the urge to “do
something,” anything, just be-
cause it is labeled “safety” isn’t
necessarily wise.

THE GUYS WHO PILE MATERIALS
AT THE PLANT OUGHT To GET A LOAD
OF THAT !